Sex offence self-referral evidence period out to views

How long should evidence be retained when collected from someone who refers themselves to forensic medical services? The question is posed by the Scottish Government in a consultation just launched.

It relates to the Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Act 2021, which received Royal Assent on 20 January. 

The Act enables a victim to access healthcare and examination without having previously made a police report. It places a duty on health boards to give victims of all ages access to trauma-informed, person-centred forensic medical services and, for adults aged 16 or over, it will enable a health board to retain certain evidence where the victim is undecided about reporting to the police.   

Ahead of bringing the Act into force, ministers must prescribe a retention period for evidence collected in the course of self-referral forensic medical services. Based on the evidence gathered of best practice elsewhere in the UK, a Taskforce under the Chief Medical Officer has recommended a retention period of 26 months. The Scottish Government is inviting views before making a final decision. 

Click here to access the consultation. The deadline for responses is Friday 30 April 2021.

A feature on the Act is in this month's Journal (publishing 15 February).